My Comfort Food Go-To: Abuelita’s Aguadito Recipe

Everyone has that comfort food they remember growing up. For most, it’s a chicken soup or a stew that mom or grandma made either when you were sick or during those cold winter months. Now, my mom made a killer Parihuela but that was a special occasion thing, and too rich to be comfort. My abuelita’s Aguadito, however, *chef’s kiss* was the perfect comfort food. Just thinking about it right now makes me drool. It’s hearty, aromatic, and just the perfect food you can share on slightly chilly fall day with your family. I just love it. I still do! Mi Ita is 90 years old, and still making amazing food for us grandkids. And she is the one I run to when I need a recipe or feel like taking on a new dish. I want my daughter to not just have this memory too, but to also connect to a piece of her heritage as a form of comfort too. So now that the weather is getting cooler in the evening, I knew I wanted to make her Aguadito, and I just called her up and she gave me what I needed.

Now, my Ita is old school with recipes. She doesn’t believe in measuring by cups/spoons at all. She says things like, you put this and that in and maybe a sprinkle of that other thing. Ask her for amounts, she scoffs and says you don’t need them… just do what I say! LOL

The ingredients aren’t hard to find, and I have changed a few to suit our lifestyle, and tastes but still keep it authentic. I now use Knorr Selects® Chicken Granulated Bouillon instead of the regular ones my grandma used to use. Same great flavor but these are made with natural chicken stock and contains zero artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or added MSG. Perfect for enhancing flavor in any recipe, including chicken dishes, soups, stews, sauces, rice, mole, vegetables and pasta. They also have a few recipes on their site to help inspire family dinners, like this one for a Knorr Chicken Taco. So with that in mind, and my Ita’s recipe in hand, I headed to my local Superior Grocery Store to grab my Knorr Selects, and a few missing ingredients. They were very easy to find, and had plenty in stock, thank goodness!

My family loved sitting down and sharing a delicious bowl of aguadito, and hopefully yours will too! I have put together this recipe as close as possible to some measurements as I could. If I say a little of this, or a dash of that, well, forgive me…I am my Ita’s grandchild after all.

AGUADITO

Ingredients

6-8 chicken pieces, cleaned (I prefer leg & thigh but can be any)

1 bunch of cilantro

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion diced

2 tablespoons dry oregano (1 and 1/2 or less if fresh- chopped)

3 tbspn Olive Oil (Ita uses Canola, I like EVOO)

1 cup rice

3 teaspoons of Knorr Selects® Chicken Granulated Bouillon

5 cups of water (2 cups with cilantro)

salt and pepper

1-2 carrots cubes

1/2 cup peas

lime wedges (optional)

Directions

Cut off the stems of the cilantro bunch, wash, and then put in a blender. Add 2 cups of water to blender, 1 teaspoon of Knorr Select Chicken boullion and blend on high until cilantro is well blended. Set aside.

In a big pot, heat oil and toss in onions, oregano and minced garlic. Sautee for about 2-4 mins while stirring over medium heat. Add in chicken, with some salt and light pepper and stir for about 7-9 mins to lightly brown both sides of chicken pieces.

Once the chicken has some color, pour in cilantro mixture and stir. Allow occasionally to come to a boil, lower heat and let the mixture simmer for about 10 mins (this lets the chicken absorb the cilantro flavor).

Add in remainder of water, bouillon, some more salt (I usually do one sprinkle around the pot) and a few dashes of pepper and stir. Allow to simmer and stir occasionally for about 15 mins.

Add rice to mixture, stir, lower heat and cover. Allow to cook for about 10-12 mins.